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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 9, 11 January 1867, Page 3

Mr. Blackett has published a reply to the electors who wish him to become a candidate for the office of Superintendent. He states that the requision being so numerously signed, he unhesitatingly accedes to the request. Being a long resident and personally well known, he does not think it necessary to enter into a particular statement of his views and opinions. The only pledge he will give is a general one, that he will, if elected, promote the real welfare of the province, aud " consider every subject in a spirit of full inquiry and impartiality." He will give his best attention to the " interior development of the province, and to the improving of its internal communications of all kinds." He professes himself a strong supporter of provincial institutions, thinking that •' till a better system cau be devised, oue that will do provincial work more cheaply, more promptly, and more efficiently, we must hold by the right we now enjoy, that of doing our own work with our own hands. Mr. Barnicoat also has offered himself as a candidate for the office of Superintendent. He says he is encouraged to state the step, from the very large support accorded to him at the last general election for that office, and by direct invitation of a large body of his then friends and supporters. Mr. Barnicoat lays stress on the Nelson and West Coast Railway, saying no efforts of his shall be wanting "to the furtherance of a measure tending so incalculably in every way to the development of the various resources of the province and the increase of its prosperity." Of course the question of the railway is not the only one by which the electors will decide on the fitness of the candidates for the office of superintendent. Mr. Blackett does not allude to it further than by expressing a readiness to promote the internal communication of all kind. The words of Mr. Barnicoat are quoted above. We have seen on a former occasion thafc Mr. Curtis has promised, " in the event of election to devote his heart and mind to effect this object." We shall reserve further comment till the.^ various candidates have given a fuller expression of their views. The election for Picton representatives in the Provincial Council of Marlborough, has resulted in the return of Messrs. Conolly and Tetley. Colonel Haultain has visited Tauranga. The Ist Company Waikato ]V|ilitary Settlers wanted the deficit of * lifce pay made up, but he gave no satisfactory answers to their demand. Thn Bay of Plenty Steam Navigation Company, whose head-quarters are to beat Tauranga, held their first general meeting on the 19th ulfc., for the purpose of choossing officers for the current year. It was a very satisfactory one. The Lyttelton Times states thafc a skating rink has been openned at Christchurch. The floor, a very smooth and even one, was coated with a composition of fuller's earth and some other materials. A number of skates was provided for the use of those who took part in the amusement. The skates consist of a wooden frame, somewhat in the shape of the ordinary ones, but are furnished with four wooden rollers about an inch and a balf in diameter. The skaters attach this

to their feet by means of leathern straps and loops, and are thus enabled to exercise various evolutions on the floor with the utmost ease and rapidity. The M. -Press gives the following droll picture, of New Year's Day at Picton, showing that its mythical story about thafc town becoming " a deserted village " was nearer approaching the fact than anyone supposed. Ifc says : — Picton is gone out of town to-day, one moiety by road and the other by water. The destination of the first is the scene of the annual Sports at Amersfoort, aud the remainder have betaken themselves to some of the sylvan retreats [for which] the shores of Queen Charlotte Sound are famed ; for beyond ourselves aud staff, and one solitary policeman to keep us in order, and protect the gardens frcm the encroachment of stray animals of the four-footed species, we look in vain for a familiar face or rather for any face at all ; for yesterday, melancholy as it is to relate, someone duly authorised walked off with the face of the clock — whither deponent sayeth not. We trust that all may enjoy themselves, and return in safety to their household gods. "May good digestion wait on appetite" would not be an inappropriate heading to the following case tried iu the Resident Magistrates' Court, Wauganui: — Solver and Gomez sued Benjamin Hood for the sum of £2 ss. the value of thirty dozen of oysters supplied to defendant on the 29th uit. It appeared from the evidence that a bet of £1 was made by defendant that Mr. Gomez, one of the plaintiffs, was not equal to the task of consuming thirty dozen of oysters — Manukau rock oysters — which was accepted and won by Mr. Gomez, who thereby won the &1 — bufc the price of the oysters amounted to £2 ss. at Is. 6d. a dozen, for which the plaintiff now sued the defendant, although he never ate one. The judgment was adjourned till the succeeding day, and in the interim was settled out of court. We Southland Times learn that the Colonial Treasurer (the Hon. Mr. Fitzherbert) is at present in Otago. The object of his visit or the length of his stay is unknown. There is little doubt that public business has been the cause of his trip South. It is more than probable that he will visit Invercaigill. According to the W. E. Post, the Hamilfcon correspondent of the Southern Cross, writing under date the 24th [uit., says that an individual calling himself William Travers Tunstall Fisher, and stating he is a brother of Major Fisher, 40th Regiment of Infantry, is to be charged before R. C. Mainwaring, Esq., R.M., on several charges of forgery, and obtaining goods by false pretences. The scamp, ' it appears, gave grand dinner parties, lived iu the best style, at the chief hotel, aud Avhenever any demands were made upon him cheerfully gave a checque on the Bank of New Zealand, Auckland, but it turned out that the amount to his credit at that institution was nil. We learn from the New Zealand Herald that the agents of the Insurance Comjianies iii^Auckland have determined to bring every case of arson before the Resident Magistrate, with the view, if sufficient evidence can be adduced to warrant such a step, of having them sent to the Siupreme Court for trial. The supposed lire-raiser Howie has been already committed to jail, awaiting the sitting of the higher court. Mr. J. Ham, of Brisbane, and Mr. J. Pettigrew, of Ipswich,', have assigned their estates. The liabilities of the latter are about £27,000. The Steamship Barwon was floated on the morning of the 24th ulfc., and in the evening raced the Peuola up the bay. The inter-colonial Cricket Match, between 11 of Victoria, aud 11 of New South Wales, was played at Sydney. The Victorians in their first innings scored 74, and in their second 54. The New South Wales eleven scored 145 in their first innings, thus winning in one innings with 17 runs to spare. The New South Wales Parliament was formally prorogued at Sydney on the 22nd December. We (Australasian) are informed through a source which we are disposed to regard as authentic, that the proposed voyage of the Grand Duke Alexis Alexandrowitz of Russia round the world will include a visit to Melbourne. The Great Britian, steamship, arrived at Melbourne on the 25th uit., after a splendid passage of 57 days. The Rev. Mr. O'Hannigan has been appointed Bishop of Armidale.

They play at a game in France (according to Macmillan's Magazine) in which certain members of a company are entirely concealed wifch the exception of their eyes. Everything is hidden except the eye itself; and then it is the business of the rest of the company to identify the concealed persons simply by their eyes. One who had played at this game told me that the difficulty of such identification is incredibly great, and that he himself was unable to find out his own wife when thus concealed More than this, it happened that on one occasion a lady celebrated for her beauty and especially distinguished by her fine eyes, la Duchesse de M , was drawn into engaging iu this pastime, there being only one other person hidden besides herself, and this an old gentleman not celebrated for his eyes. The pair were duly concealed and bandaged up, with nothing bufc their eyes visible, and then the person — a lady — who Avas to declare to whom the respective eyes belonged was introduced. Without a moment's hesitation she walked up straight to where the old gentleman was placed, and exclained, "Ah! there is no one but la Duchesse de M who can boast such eyes as these." She had made the choice, and ifc was the wrong one.